This paté is an alternative to conventional chestnut stuffing, that mainstay accompaniment to roast turkey at Christmas. Here's a much simpler recipe than usual, producing a smooth, rich chestnut paste with an intense flavour. The recipe is extremely simple but the results astounding. The source is a recipe book dating from around the second world war and handed down through the generations.

Warning: This is a very rich paste so the amount given here will serve up to six people.
 

Ingredients:

500g chestnuts
Milk
Butter
Sugar
Salt and pepper
 

Method:

Cut the tops off the chestnuts or slit them on the flat side, then roast them at 200°C for 20 minutes. When they are cool enough to handle, peel off both layers of skin and cut them into chunks.

Place the chestnut chunks into a pan, cover them with milk and simmer until you have a thick paste and the chestnuts are soft. Use a largish pan to avoid the milk boiling over.

Mash the resulting paste or pass it through a sieve or use a stick blender. Add a good-sized knob of butter, a quarter-teaspoon of sugar and a little salt and pepper. Mix well. Aim to achieve a sticky paste.

Place the paste in a bowl as shown and put into the oven as your turkey is reaching the end of cooking. Brush on a little turkey juice a couple of times as the paste browns, to keep it moist. The paté is ready when it has a thin dark crust on top.